Despite the fact that I dedicated 9 years of my life to playing football, I honestly never really cared for the sport growing up. Sure, I may have watched/attended a Saints/LSU game every once and in while, but I was a far cry from most people from this area who live and die by the shit. Mostly I just watched the games that I did because it was what my dad was watching- I can't really remember a time where I watched a game by my own choice. My indifference to the sport grew even worse when I started playing in college. In the average day consisted of about 7-8 hours of football related activities- workouts, film, meetings, practice, more meetings, and training room or rehab if you needed it. After so many years of doing it, I even got to the point where almost every activity involving football (mostly practice) became the worst moment of my life at that particular time. I sure as hell didn't want to watch the shit on TV in my spare time. I don't even think I watched the Super Bowl for a few years. This all changed for me after I graduated when my older brother introduced me to fantasy football. At first I thought that there would be no way I would like it, but he made it sound like it would be a good drinking activity, if nothing else, and that I should at least give it a try. Despite having absolutely zero knowledge pertaining to pro-football, I became hooked within a few weeks. I started watching games all day on Sunday, even if they didn't involve the Saints or anyone from my fantasy team. I branched this newfound love I had discovered into the college game on Saturdays not to long after that. I started reading football blogs. Just yesterday I paid for a year subscription to Sirius radio so that I could listen to NFL talk radio. I would have kicked you in the nuts and called you a retard if you would have told me 5 years ago that I would pay money to listen to football talk radio. Needless to say, I have pulled a full 180 with regards to my feelings on the sport, and I couldn't be happier that I did. I only regret not doing it sooner. FOCUS: We often talk about how it is pretty much impossible to change the firmly held beliefs of others. Have you ever actually had a change of heart on one of these beliefs? Let's try to leave religion out of this. I've seen what you people are capable of when it comes to that subject.
For the longest time, I regarded internet message boards as the home of nerds with nothing better to do with their lives. Once I started working full time, I had a lot of time on my hands due to my ability to finish up projects quickly. After reading Tucker Max's book and finding RMMB, I learned fairly quickly that it wasn't only nerds that posted on message boards. The intelligent discussion there (and here) and on other boards opened up a whole new world of insight and conversation that I probably would have never found elsewhere.
Two sports-related changes of heart I have had over the past couple of years. 1) I hated Soccer in high school. I never wanted to go to the high school games with people and I just thought it was a joke. I've fallen in love with it since around 2008, and plan on going to my first live game this summer in New York. 2) High School Football games. Freshmen or Sophomore year in high school were wasted playing NHL whatever with a handful of buddies who didn't wanna stand around either. Then, after we figured we could dip/chew at the games, a few were attended Junior year. Then, alcohol became more readily available, and the fall of Senior year was a lot of fun. I go to a school that literally only has a football club just starting up next season, but since a couple of my buddies will be on the team I plan on getting shit-faced and going to one of the games just for old times' sake. I'll look like an idiot, but I'll be having the best time so who gives a shit. And a small honorable mention goes to Weed. I used to just want no part of it, but after trying it as a freshmen in college I haven't looked back since. It will never be a major part of my life, but it's still a part that will have to be discussed with any girl that I want to take serious.
In March 2005 I attended an anti-war protest in Manchester, UK outside the venue for the Labour Party's annual conference. I held some placard with 'End the Occupation of Iraq, Free Palestine, Muslim Council of Britain'. I was vehemently anti-coalition, coalition of the killing we called it. It was easy to sneer at Blair calling him George Bushes poodle. Any arguments for the Iraq war based on humanitarian grounds we could retort with a sarcastic remark like 'Who sold Sadamm weapons?' or 'What about Palestine?'. My hero was George Galloway and one time he did a debate in New York with Christopher Hitchens. I downloaded it off youtube and listened to it several times over and over. I thought Galloway did fantastic, but with each time I listened to it a voice in the back of my head grew louder and louder that Galloway just wasn't being rational. Hitchens would make some point about international law and Galloway retorted by calling him a slug. This voice led me to examine Hitchens further and I became a big fan of his, though still disagreeing with his opinions on Iraq. However Hitchens had talked a lot about a book by Nick Cohen called 'What's Left'. I read that book in a day, then as soon as I got to the end I read it again. My opinions on Iraq and the USA flipped 180, I now fully support what the coalition did and look back on my protesting days with some regret. The placard I held had 'Muslim Council of Britian' on it, an organisation of support the death penalty for Muslims who leave the religion. That isn't a liberal value. I'd still call myself left wing, even a socialist perhaps, but I no longer think that necessitate's anti-Westernism.
My feelings towards people with addiction problems growing up was shaped by my parents, there is no such thing as addiction just a moral deficiency and lack of self control. My feelings have changed 180 degrees and I have even more compassion for people suffering from addiction as I battle daily with it. Perception is a funny thing.
I used to swear by the computer for video games. You couldn't get within five feet of a console for first person shooters. This was the case until I moved in with someone who had an xbox and cod. Haven't looked back since. Secondly, gonna take shit for this, but ultimate frisbee. Played it in highschool gym class and wondered what was happening to physical education. My friends played it for years, always badgering me to try it. I tried it last summer and cannot get enough of it. Pure fun.
I've always been dead set on going to university right after high school so I just just get my degree and get a good job as soon as possible. When the time came, I wasn't that stoked on going so I decided to take a couple years off. Also, I used to wear a purity ring. Not even kidding.
I grew up with a Mom who was a drunk with bipolar who passed away when I was 21. From the age of about 11 when I was able to recognize her failings until about a year before she died I affectively treated her like shit. When she was drunk (the majority of the time) she was a horrible horrible person, my behavior towards her was in turn a manifestation of this. It wasn't until I was about 20 that I began to understand the nature of addiction and mental illness and with this came compassion and a total reverse in how I treated her. With this newfound compassion I saw a dramatic change in her behavior too, my whole family became a vicious cycle. She drank and treated us bad, due to this her children were bad to her, a sensitive soul this then lead to her drinking more. My only regret was that this realization came so close to the end.
Growing up I hated country music. I had that shit stuffed in my ears by my mother and when I discovered hard rock/heavy metal at about 9 years old, that was it. I grew my hair long, and would refuse to play anything on my guitar unless it was heavily distorted, caused people's ears to bleed, and induced heavy, forced breathing. A number of years ago I started listening to country music even though I swore I'd never do such a thing. Now people freak out when they hear me break into Crue, Van Halen or other music of that sort on my guitar. They're so used to me playing and listening to country that they think I've always done it. Heh. If they only knew... Apparently I'm not the only one. Here's a video of a guy I grew up with that ran off to LA to chase his dreams of being a rock star in the 80's: (Just a side note, but Ian is one hell of a guitar player. He was always better then the rest of us in the area. Small wonder seeing as his father was a guitar teacher.) Here he is now: The dude made more of a 180 then I did. I never pretended to be anything but a redneck, hell, even I don't act as hillbilly as he does now.
Once upon a time I refused to drink beer as I didn't like the taste and my old man was a bit of a drunk. Jump forward a few years to now and I'm an absolute piss fiend with beer being one of my main choices of poison.
Early on in college, I was really conservative when it came to sex and alcohol. I stayed away from alcohol because I was super paranoid about anything that would affect my mind. As for sex, I figured if I wasn't 100% sure with a girl, it was best to wait. After all, you can have sex later, but you can't ever undo it. I think my attitude towards alcohol was definitely ill-informed. Hell, I'm drunk right now. As for sex, while I'm a complete slut these days and will fuck anything with two legs and the ability to induce an erection, I actually think my old attitude was also right. If you're not entirely comfortable, don't do it. What's changed is that I'm now completely comfortable with it.
Texting I still think it's idiotic looking. I'll send one once in a while, but realize I look dumb doing it. (Someone pointed out that I had my tongue out while I was typing, that might've been it.)
Shit. I was all set up to talk about how I started to believe in science and reason, and you squashed me for the sake of rational conversation. On the other side, I used to believe in... Fuck, I got nothing. I was gonna say Disney movies, but that's a little transparent. Hay mods, keep this up for the sake of pathetic comedy...
FOCUS: Brand loyalty in cars. First off, my parents ONLY bought American cars, and only Ford or GM. My dad ONLY drove Ford pickups*. When I got to highschool, as you can imagine in a group of hick kids, trucks were a big topic of conversation. I had my handed down, beat-to-shit '79 Ford F150, and I had to "defend" its honor against the Chevy group. I suppose this got me into a Ford-only mindset for a long time. When I first met my ex-wife, her dad and whole family were GM-only, and ribbed me about that. Over time, I changed my mind, not just in regards to Ford vs. GM but about imports. After years of working in the field of automotive repair, I learned that Japanese cars aren't tin buckets ready to fall apart as soon as you hit a pothole. My ex-wife was shocked when I recommended that she buy a Honda or Toyota when she was in the market for a used car a couple of years ago (She didn't; she got a Chevy Cobalt). Now I drive a Pontiac Trans Am, and used to have a Camaro ( a car I used to despise for no good reason). *with all that said, I still think Ford makes the best trucks.
The acoustic guitar I hated most of my growing up. I thought it was for hippies, all sounded the same, and was boring compared to an electric. Only when I started to play a few years ago, did I really take up a new appreciation for it. You can play a power chord on an electric, and hold it for several seconds without doing a thing. With an acoustic, the notes die fairly quickly so you have to keep the fingering fast.
For most of my life I couldn't of cared less about sports. Specifically, watching sports live or on TV. I played sports as a kid but was never a fan. Then about 4 years ago my wife suggested we watch our local NHL team on TV. We watched the game that night and to my surprise I kind of liked it. So we watched another, then another, then I got to know the various players, then I got the sports package, etc, etc. By the end of the season I was loudly encouraging the players by their first names (instrumental to our many wins), yelling at referees for bad calls, and screaming "SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT!" at the TV. Other sports still don't hold much interest for me, but now we watch just about all of our team's televised games. Oh, and Judge Judy. I never liked these TV Court shows and still don't for the most part. Then about a year ago, after I had seen every Two and a Half Men in syndication way too many times, I just had to watch something else. The only other thing I could find was Judge Judy so I figured "What the hell?" I've been hooked ever since.
Up until about 2 weeks ago, I had about 2 burgers at fast food restaurants in my whole life. As a kid, I always got chicken strips or chicken wraps, and I still tend to. I tried a burger, and holy fuck it's good, which I found surprising because I absolutely hate the burgers we have at home and I just dislike ketchup and mustard altogether. I blame it on my dad's inability to cook some things, hamburgers included and pork chops as well. I could never understand people ordering 4 cheeseburgers and eating them until yesterday.